Tracing Lines
by ActAppalled
Summary: After Hermione has been given a work-related vacation, she must travel with an unlikely Auror. Together, the two must find the most successful murderer to date while struggling with their mixed feelings for each other. Rated M for sexuality and language.
1. Aurors

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any other characters in J.K. Rowling's original series.

**Author's Note: **This is my second Draco and Hermione story, my first being _Forbidden Necessities_ and I'm extremely excited because this story is basically a matured version of both Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. I don't plan my stories out at all beforehand, so everything just flows from my head when I think of it. This is probably why my updates take a little longer than most, but don't worry you will get an update; I'm just thinking. Let me know what your thoughts were on the first chapter.

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Chapter One: Aurors

Rubbing the temples of her forehead with both of her index fingers, Hermione Granger exhaled a long sigh and stretched her spine backwards in her seat. Her slender arms raised above her head and her wavy brown hair fell down the back of her chair as she cracked her knuckles above her head. The grandfather clock that stood against the only wall that wasn't occupied by desks or filing cabinets had both hands pointing upwards at the twelve, reminding Hermione that she had gone over her normal work schedule by seven hours - Harry would not be pleased with her if he found her still in her office at this time.

_Perhaps I should call it a night_, she thought to herself. Lifting her aching body from the high-backed chair, Hermione crept across her cluttered office and lifted her tote bag and plaid coat from the hooks on the back of the door. After shuffling through piles of parchment and selecting a few cases to look over that night in bed, Hermione slid her jacket over her arm and tiptoed from her office into the corridors of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The only sound coming from the seemingly deserted corridors of the second level were the sounds of the fluttering wings of the memos shaped as airplanes, swooping in loops around the ceilings and waiting for their receivers to return in the morning. Feeling relieved, Hermione began to creep towards the telephone box that acted as a lift. She felt as if a large weight had been lifted off her chest; before she heard the sound of a door opening to her left - the Head Auror's office.

"Shit," she muttered. Hermione turned to see Harry Potter yawning widely as he exited the office, his robes slung over one arm with his black wool coat thrown his shoulder. He blinked sleepily and waited until his eyes had readjusted before he realized he was not the only person standing on the second level. His emerald eyes widened, then his brow furrowed as he muttered a Locking Charm onto his door.

"Hermione, what are you still doing here?" Harry asked, the tone of his voice warning her to have a very good reason for staying seven hours later than she was supposed to.

Hermione frowned. Harry had remained her best friend since their first year and had the two had always been extremely supporting of one another; Harry had been co-captain of S.P.E.W. when Hermione had briefly decided to launch the campaign to fight against house-elf slavery once more. He had barely changed since their seventh year; the same uncontrollably black hair, the same sparkling emerald eyes framed with thin spectacles and the same cheerful smile. The only differences was that he now stood at six foot two and was much broader in his chest and shoulders.

Hermione adjusted the strap of her tote bag on her shoulder and sighed. "I know, I know. I stayed a bit late again…"

Harry snorted. "A bit? Hermione, this is the third time this week that you've been leaving at the same time I have. And I almost always leave at midnight or one," he said with a frown.

"There's just a lot of chaos in the department right now, that's all. I'm sure Wesley, Blaise and I will have everything sorted out by the end of the week," Hermione promised.

Harry shook his head. "You always have to be the hard worker, don't you? Never changed a bit." He grinned and rested a hand on the small of Hermione's back. "There are things called breaks though, you know."

Hermione smiled and walked towards the telephone box, her shoulder straining to hold the weight of the parchments, quills and bottles of ink. She pressed the down button and turned to face Harry. "It's my job, Harry. I've prepared for this my entire life. Why else would I be going to Hogwarts?"

"To learn about magic? To become a successful witch? To rule the world?" Harry said with a childish grin.

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes at the last suggestion. "You know me so well, Harry." At her words, the lift raised to their level and the bright red doors swung open. Hermione stepped in, followed by Harry and a small cluster of paper plane memos. Hermione pressed the eighth floor button and the lift raised once more.

"I don't want to see you in the office a minute past five this entire week, you hear me?" Harry said, his voice stern but a smile on his face.

Hermione smiled and blushed. "I can't promise anything."

The lift stopped and the doors swung open once more to reveal the atrium. The familiar fountain stood gleaming in the middle of the atrium, and there wasn't a person in sight. Hermione was used to this by now, since she and Harry were usually the last ones out. She raised her eyes to the lifts that would lead her outside and began to walk towards them when she felt Harry's hand rest on her shoulder.

"I have a business proposal for you," he said, suddenly very serious.

Hermione perked up at the thought of doing something specifically towards an extremely praised department of the Ministry, but her chest fell at the idea of having even more work to do. Although she knew what she was getting into when she had been given the job in the Improper Use of Magic division, she didn't expect to be so unorganized. Her office appeared to have a tornado of parchments and folders travel through it at the end of every day, and it didn't help that she shared her office with her equally messy partner, Blaise. Nonetheless, she took a large breath of oxygen and turned to face Harry.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, when you've had a good night's rest." Harry beamed. "I just thought I would tell you before so it's not a surprise."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Thank you for getting me all riled up and then sending me away," she muttered.

Harry laughed. "Hey, I'm not Ron," he scoffed with a grin.

Hermione glared. She and Ron had "dated" for three years, if what they had going on classified as dating. They had slept together numerous times, spent the night and morning at one another's homes, and even had stay-in dates where no sex was involved. However, Ron had continuously cheated on her with numerous women over the three year span, broken her heart endlessly over and over again, and even screamed at her once or twice. She always seemed to go back to him in the end, though; she wasn't proud of that.

Again, Harry had been the supporting friend. Despite the fact that Hermione and Ron were his two best friends, Harry was always able to talk to them separately and give them logical answers to their frustrations, concerns and issues. Whenever Hermione had a problem, Harry was the first person she went to. It wasn't because she didn't have any female friends; she did - Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. However, they were younger and were more interested in which celebrity said what in the world of magic and therefore she rarely went to them for advice.

"Well, I should really be getting home," Harry said after a quick glance at his watch. "Ginny will be waiting, as usual. Are you alright getting home?"

Hermione nodded her response and Harry placed a single kiss on the top of her head before he made his way to one of the fireplaces used for the Floo Network. Hermione watched as he disappeared in a flash of green flames before she pushed a button for another lift and waited for it in silence, her mouth stretching into ovals as she yawned.

The lift arrived shortly after her first yawn, and the doors closed right before her second. Thankfully, as she stepped out of the phone booth after her third yawn, she immediately felt awake from the blast of cold air that hit her face. She shivered in the breeze and clutched the collar of her grey plaid coat closer around her face, hurrying into the alley next to the phone booth.

"Bloody weather," she mumbled before she turned on the spot and Apparated to the front door of her home, six blocks from the Ministry's location. Hermione smiled as she saw the familiar silver and gold striped doorknob of her front door. She gazed from the tall oak doors to the red and brown bricks, and the black shutters to the towering roof. It was a miracle for her to find this beautiful - and inexpensive - home only two years prior, and she had transformed it into a particularly comfortable environment. Pushing open the front door, Hermione sighed as the blast of warmth from inside hit her face and she closed the door quickly to trap the warmth in.

Removing her coat and tossing it on the coat rack next to the door, Hermione kicked off her boots and made her way directly upstairs with her tote bag of notes in hand. Normally she would make herself a warm cup of tea and prepare a plate of biscuits, but she was simply too tired for any of that tonight. Her feet ached on each step she practically crawled up the staircase, and Crookshanks' furry orange body slithered between her legs each time she took a step.

With the bedroom to the right of her, Hermione pushed open the door and sighed. The fireplace was lit from the morning still, to her surprise, and she didn't even bother to change into pyjamas as she removed her black slacks and white jumper, throwing them on a heap on the ground beside her tossed tote bag and climbed into her silky, wearing only her undergarments.

"Perhaps I could have a look at those cases," she mumbled, sinking into the plush bed and stroking Crookshanks slowly. She settled back against her pillows and her head slowly began to sink into them. She never got to the cases after all because her head hit the pillow and she was out before she could even reconsider looking at them.

_***_

Hermione was awoken the next morning by her alarm clock, which caused her to throw her arm up over her head and slam down on it. Crookshanks hissed and jumped from the bed to hide underneath it, her large amber eyes peering out from the blackness.

"Sorry Crookshanks," Hermione mumbled, throwing her covers back and sitting up. She yawned widely and peered outside the window of her bedroom. It was still dark outside, which was to be expected at six-thirty in the morning. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood up to pad over to the attached en suite. She turned the hot and cold taps until a neutral warm was found, then shed the remnants of her undergarments and stepped into the shower's warmth. The hot water immediately woke her up, and she took her time washing her thick hair, soaped up the rest of her body and then shaved her legs.

Feeling refreshed, Hermione stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a big fluffy white towel. She combed leave-in conditioner through her waves, secured her hair in a bun at the top of her head, and walked into her bedroom once more to look through her closet. She always had a hard time picking clothes for work; it's not like she had no clothes, oh no. She had hundreds of different choices, but she had never been the most fashionable person. She hardly knew what looked good anymore.

"Shit," Hermione muttered as she thumbed through the racks of clothing. Finally, she found a high-waisted black skirt and a silk white blouse which she brought over to the bed and began to change into. Judging by the way the trees bended into one another on the other side of her window, she knew it would be windy and nippy today so she slid on some pantyhose as well.

At seven-thirty, Hermione was completely ready for work but still had an hour to kill before she was expected to be there. She decided she would visit her favourite little pastry shop four blocks away on her way there. She slid on some black pumps, folded her work robes and stashed them into her tote bag along with the cases she told herself she would look at before bed. Grabbing her coat, wallet and keys, Hermione slid out of the door after throwing Crookshanks a small handful of treats and locked it behind her.

Though it was windy, it wasn't too cold, so Hermione took the opportunity of the breezy conditions to remove her hair from the elastic and let it air dry as she walked. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, so a dreary grey sky welcomed Hermione as she made her way down the street. A few people she who lived on the same street as her smiled as she passed them, and she nodded back with a smile to show her hello.

The pastry shop was quite crowded, which she had already expected. They were extremely popular among witches and wizards of the Ministry because not only were the owners a married witch and wizard couple, but the pastry shop was so close to headquarters of the Ministry. It was a comfortable, quaint little shop filled with clusters of plush seats and sofas, coffee tables, and mostly wizards. Some were so noticeably wizards that they hadn't even bothered to stuff their robes in their bags for safekeeping and donned the emerald, ruby and sapphire colours.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," said Mr. Mathers. Mr. Mathers and his wife owned the shop, and were both reaching the ripe old age of ninety. They looked fresh and youthful, though, as Hermione thought they both looked to be only fifty years old.

"Good morning," Hermione said cheerfully.

"What can I get you today?" he asked, rubbing his hands together as he hovered over the cash register.

"A large coffee, two creams and one sugar, and an egg, cheese and ham biscuit," she said, reaching into her bag to bring out her wallet.

Mr. Mathers tapped numbers into the cash register and then asked Hermione - quietly, so the Muggles in the shop wouldn't hear - for ten Sickles. She handed them over and retrieved her food and coffee, turning to find a seat somewhere within the shop. There was a single table by the window with a newspaper on it, and she quickly made her way over there before it was stolen.

"Good morning," a familiar male voice said. Lifting her head, Hermione beamed up at Blaise Zabini. If she had still been attending Hogwarts, she would have been completely thrown off by the courteous greeting from the former best friend of Draco Malfoy. However, Blaise now worked in the same department as Hermione at the Ministry and the two got along quite well inside and outside of work; they were also considered "partners" since the two shared the same office. Though Hermione hated to admit it, Blaise was extremely attractive, his skin smooth and creamy like milk chocolate and his eyes dark and passionate. He was well-built and tall, and had a gleaming white smile that could be seen around the room.

"Care to join me?" Hermione asked after taking a sip of her coffee. She watched as Blaise turned to bring a chair from another table over and placed it on the opposite side of Hermione, taking a seat and setting his own coffee down. He began peeling the wrapper of his muffin off and didn't say anything to Hermione for a moment as she gazed over the front page of the Muggle newspaper.

"There's no Prophets in here?" Blaise said in a murmur, glancing up to see if Hermione had heard him.

"Mr. Mathers keeps them behind the counter for those who want them that badly. We're not supposed to be exposing them too much to the Muggles who come into the shop," Hermione murmured back, smiling and turning the page to look through the comics. "I'm used to these newspapers, though."

"Oh right, with your parents and everything." Blaise had had a very sudden change of attitude after his mother, a beautiful, famous and extremely wealthy witch, had passed away four years ago. He was no longer arrogant and chose to speak to every single person rather than those who were strictly proud pure bloods.

Hermione merely nodded and began to unwrap the packaging of her breakfast, lost in thought of the work she must endure today. She knew that although she had promised Harry she wouldn't spend any overtime at the office, she would anyway. Harry should know better than to tell Hermione Granger not to do extra work; it was in her blood.

Chewing on her biscuit thoughtfully, Hermione ran her fingers over the top of the table and sighed. The warmth from her food and her coffee immediately spread through her body and diminished the cold she felt from the weather outside. She barely even noticed that Blaise had been speaking to her until she looked over at him and saw his eyebrows raised and his hands extended as if he was awaiting a reply.

Hermione swallowed. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said have you found anything new on the Douglas case?" Blaise repeated.

"Oh!" Hermione wiped her mouth on her napkin before she continued. "Well, I found out that he set up his stepdaughter by placing her under the Imperius Curse and ordering her to steal all of the towels from the poolside."

"Did he also make her put the Grindylows in the pool?" Blaise asked thoughtfully.

Hermione nodded. "And this was all from the single Squib who was at the pool that day. Wonderful elderly woman named Mrs. Potts. She helped us a lot on the whole thing."

"How did she know that Douglas put his stepdaughter under the Curse?" Blaise questioned.

"Mrs. Potts also happens to be the next door neighbour of the two. She noticed that the stepdaughter was acting much calmer than usual, which would be strange for a twelve year old, and that she didn't seem to be answering her questions correctly."

"Well then." Blaise smiled. "There's one case that is pretty much done with, right?"

Hermione nodded again. "It was the hardest case, as well. I'm so pleased that it's over with."

Blaise clapped the crumbs out of his hands and glanced at his watch. "It's eight twenty-five. Shall we head to the office?" he asked.

Hermione had just stuffed the last bite of her biscuit into her mouth, so she nodded and chewed before standing up and grabbing her coffee to bring with her. The two of them exited the pastry shop just as a Muggle couple came strolling in with a baby, who Blaise held the door open for.

Walking in silence the entire time for the next two blocks, Hermione went into the telephone box first to avoid suspicion of both of them going in for the Muggles. She dialled M-A-G-I-C, stated which floor she was going to, and quickly descended into the ground below. A wave of calmness flooded over her body as she pressed her back against the wall of the telephone booth, pleased to be out of the cold and into the warmth of the underground headquarters.

Arriving on the correct level, Hermione stepped out and joined the hustle and bustle of the others who were rushing here and there to their correct destinations. Hermione waved casually at a group of Aurors who she knew only by their first names and attempted to dart past Harry's office without being seen. Unfortunately, she was caught.

"Hermione, you're here! Come in, come in," she heard him say behind her back. Wincing, Hermione turned on the heel of her foot and walked back towards Harry's office with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was welcomed by Harry, who was seated at his large desk and had his hands folded on top of a small stack of files. He smiled and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he spoke.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," Hermione said.

"Do you recall what I told you last night?"

Hermione paused for a moment and ran the memory through her head. She remembered Harry had mentioned something regarding a case for her, yet he never continued on with his idea and told her he would tell her the following day.

"Something regarding a case for me?" Hermione said hesitantly, folding her hands nervously in front of her.

"Precisely. Have a seat," he suggested, waving a hand at the chair on the opposite side of his desk. Hermione sank into it slowly, removing her coat in the process, and folded her hands in her lap. Normally, she would not be nervous about the idea of a new case; she welcomed new cases warmly. However, the fact that Harry - Head Auror - was specifically requesting that she work on this case frightened her just a bit.

Harry leaned forward onto the edge of his seat and folded his hands. His eyes were darting back and forth across Hermione's face as he studied her expression, obviously unsure of where to begin. Hermione merely sat and waited until the first words escaped Harry's mouth.

"You need a vacation."

"Pardon?"

"I said you need a vacation." Harry stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, pacing in a circle around his chair. "I know you would never go on a vacation simply for the sake of going on one, which is why I have created it into a work-related vacation."

Hermione frowned. "I don't understand what that means."

"It means that you will be spending time away from the office, yet working on a case while you are away," Harry explained. "The case was given to me for the Aurors to work on, but I decided that taking you and an Auror would boost the ability to solve the crime."

"It deals with the misuse of magic, doesn't it?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Harry chuckled. "Of course it does. I wouldn't put you on the case if it didn't," he said.

"I suppose," Hermione said. She shifted in her seat and then crossed her arms over her chest. "What is the case?"

Harry smiled and reached into his bag to retrieve a small filing folder from within it. He opened it and placed a single newspaper clipping from the Daily Prophet so the face on the page was staring back at her. Hermione studied the woman for a minute, and realized how obvious her Veela heritage was; her hair was pale blonde, shiny and smooth down her back, her skin was pure white, and her eyes were large and round. She was enchantingly beautiful, and Hermione immediately hated her for it.

"Her name is Cora Monsir. She's an Animagus and part Veela who has been on the run for months because she is the main suspect in the murders of twenty-seven witches and forty wizards," Harry explained.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "How has she not been caught?"

Harry smiled. "Did you not hear me before? She's an Animagus, Hermione. An unregistered one, like my dad, Sirius and Lupin were. And she's a very talented one because she can take the shape of absolutely any creature she wants."

Hermione frowned. "Why does this involve me, again?" she asked.

"Because we believe that she's been leaving a trail for Aurors to follow her through the misuse of magic. Haven't you noticed that we've been getting a lot of memos involving the misuse of magic from all over the world lately? They follow a line in countries."

Hermione thought back to her files. She remembered receiving a case in London, then one the next day in Scotland, then another the next day in Ireland, and so on. She hadn't thought twice about them, but now Harry had her thinking over the files. Had she noticed anything suspicious? Normally, if they were in other countries, she didn't deal with them as much because she figured the International department would work on it.

"Who is the Auror? And where would this be?" Hermione asked.

Harry folded his hands behind his back. "The Auror is to be decided in the meeting I'm having this morning. As for the location, it'll be in the next spot we've pinpointed for Cora to arrive at." Harry stood back and tapped his wand against the wall behind him to reveal a large map with thumbtacks stuck in it to form a curving line through the United Kingdom. "There's a small village just outside the borders of France we'd like the two of you to visit. She tends to make her way through the smaller villages first before continuing to a new country. You'll have to leave right away of course, considering she moves very quickly."

Hermione frowned. "This seems dangerous, Harry."

Harry smiled. "It is. But I know you're brave, and every single Auror we have in the Ministry is the best of the best. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Now come on." Harry stood up and took Hermione's hand. "Everyone should be in the conference room by now, and I'd like you to witness how I'm picking the Auror - for old time's sake."

Curious, Hermione followed Harry towards the conference room where they would be meeting with the rest of the Aurors. She passed Blaise in the corridors, where she gave him a simple look that told him they would talk later, before she was brought into the conference room. Twenty pairs of eyes followed the two of them in, which was quite alarming at first. However, many pairs of familiar eyes twinkled up at her as she came into the conference room after Harry; Colin Creevey sat near the front, and beside him, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and…

"Malfoy?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyebrows rising to her hair line.

Hermione had to rub her fists into her eyes several times to make sure she was hallucinating. Unfortunately, she wasn't; Draco Malfoy was sitting near the end of the table with his legs raised up and his arms behind his head. His white blonde hair was rustled and fell carelessly over his forehead, and his sparkling grey-blue eyes settled into the cool and pale state of his entire body. He was wearing a crisp white button-up dress shirt, black slacks, shiny leather shoes and royal blue robes with the collar upturned to touch the ends of his silvery blonde hair.

"Good to see you too, Granger," Draco said with a devilish smirk. Hermione shuddered, and mentally prayed that Draco Malfoy would not be chosen to go on the work trip with her. The last thing she needed was someone she despised breathing down her neck all day, every day.

"Let's just get this over with," she mumbled.

* * *


	2. Bernando's

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own any other characters in J.K. Rowling's original series.

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Chapter Two: Bernando's

Harry stood at the head of the table and remained standing, despite the fact that he had a very comfortable and very tall high-backed chair resting behind him. He rubbed his hands together and smiled at the group, as if he had the most exciting news in the world to tell them. Hermione, very reluctantly, sank into the only remaining seat that happened to rest beside Draco. He grinned sheepishly as she sank down, and even cast a suggestive wink in her direction.

"We all know how pleased you are to be seated next to me," he said with an innocent bat of his eyelashes. "Don't deny your lust any longer, Granger."

"As if that would ever happen," Hermione snorted, turning her attention directly towards Harry. Draco didn't say another word as Harry began to tell everyone about the case.

"I know most of you are busy working hard on the Berkley case, and I promise you that this won't take very long," Harry said. "I just want to explain why I called you down here, pick one of you for a special task, and then we'll all be able to go on with our lives in the Ministry. Fair enough?"

"What special task are you talking about?" a young Auror, who Hermione knew only by appearance, asked further up the table.

Harry smiled. "I'm getting to it, of course." He turned to his right and waved his wand in the air, revealing the map that Hermione had been shown just ten minutes beforehand. The thumbtacks remained where they were in the map.

"Cora Monsir is a name I'm sure a majority of you are already familiar with." Hermione saw the heads of over half of the Aurors nod. Nodding as well, Harry continued. "Well, she remains on the loose and I would very much like to include one of you to partner with Miss Hermione Granger to solve the case, track her down, and bring peace once more to the people of the world of wizardry."

A young man near the front turned to search for Hermione, and beamed when he saw her. His eyes cast up and down her torso, the only visible section of her body because of the table. "She's seems quite… nice," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'll do it."

Hermione cringed and crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. "Uh, how are you doing this Harry?" she mumbled. She could feel the Auror's eyes on her, and she turned her body away from his.

"Well, I'm simply going to put all of your names into this." Harry reached into his robes and brought out a familiar sight to Hermione. The wooden sides etched up from the handle into a rounded cup, and the minute it was released from the insides of Harry's robes, its interior erupted with blue flames.

"The Goblet of Fire," Hermione said breathlessly. She shook her head. "How… How did you get it, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "I just asked the Ministry if I could use it for a particular task that involved an impartial judge. They agreed and even allowed me to cast a spell on it so it would temporarily pick an Auror rather than schoolmates."

Draco snorted with laughter. "This isn't fourth year again, Potter. Why would you bring that battered old thing back out?"

"He just said, we need an impartial judge," Hermione hissed, flinging her hair in the direction of him. "I think it's a brilliant idea. What could be better to use than the Goblet of Fire for an impartial judge?"

"It's also set up to pick the Auror who would be most suited towards the task, taking in their credentials and skills. Plus, if we used a member of the Ministry, they could be biased towards an Auror in particular," Harry explained. "I figured this would be the most suitable choice."

Draco rolled his eyes, but Hermione ignored him completely and beamed up at Harry. "It's a great idea, and I'm surprised I didn't think of that myself. Even though it's been years since I've seen the Goblet of Fire, I still should have thought of it."

Harry winked and set the Goblet of Fire down on the table in front of him. "I want all of you to write your name on these pieces of parchment." He held up little squares of yellow paper in his hand. "And then place them in the Goblet. It will pick Hermione's suitable partner for the case once everyone has placed in their names."

Hermione leaned back as Harry began to hand out the pieces of parchment to the Aurors, and the sounds of quills scratching filled the conference room. She silently hoped that she would be paired up with someone she actually got along with, such as Ginny Weasley or Neville Longbottom, rather than someone like Draco Malfoy or the perverted younger Auror who had been staring at her earlier. She knew that the Goblet would make the right decision by pairing her with someone who she would get along with, have similar interests with, or even someone she shared the same thought process with. There was no way Draco Malfoy could fit any of those descriptions.

"Everyone done?" Harry asked. Draco stood up, rather reluctantly, and walked over to the Goblet to place his name in. Once the pink flames shot up to show his name had been received, he made his way back to his seat. Hermione couldn't help but notice how broad his shoulders were, and how he resembled his rather handsome father when Lucius had been Draco's age. His eyes were cold, yet there was something sad about the small twinkle that hid in his eyes. He noticed Hermione staring, and she quickly adverted her eyes towards the Goblet as it began to smoke and the flames grew higher.

"I think it's ready," Harry said with a smile. Sure enough, there was a crackling of blue flames, then light pink, and finally a bright red as a charred square of parchment shot out of the Goblet's cup. Every eye watched as the scrap fluttered down and eventually fell into Harry's grasp. He unfolded it with a smile, but Hermione's heart sank as she watched the smile fade from his lips.

"Draco Malfoy," he said in a voice that was barely audible.

"What?" Hermione and Draco said in unison.

"Draco Malfoy." Harry's voice was louder and clearer, but his expression was one of disbelief. "I… Well… Congrats, Malfoy. You and Hermione will be working on the Monsir case."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Harry hissed, raising from her seat. "You're expecting _me_ to work with _him_? This is Draco Malfoy, Harry! He's the same person who made Ron vomit slugs in our second year!"

"Ah, good times," Draco said, leering and leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"Oh shut up, that was not funny. Poor Ron suffered for hours before the slugs finally stopped coming out of his stomach," Hermione snapped.

Draco grinned. "It's his own fault. If he hadn't broken his wand in the first place, the idiot wouldn't have cast the spell on himself rather than me."

"If you hadn't provoked him in the first place, nothing would have happened!"

"Sticking up for your boyfriend, Granger?"

Hermione paused and lowered her arms to her sides, her hands quickly clenching into fists at her hips. "He is not my boyfriend," she said through clenched teeth.

"Hit a soft spot, did we?" Draco smirked.

"ENOUGH!" Harry roared. Both Hermione and Draco turned to Harry, along with the other Aurors who had been intently watching the dispute between them. Hermione was amazed how much Harry's voice had reminded her of Dumbledore's just then.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, but the Goblet has picked the Auror for you. Keep in mind it's using credentials and skills." He came towards Hermione and lowered his voice so only she could here. "If it was up to me, I would not be placing you with Malfoy. That's the last person I would ever pair you with."

"This is bullocks," Hermione whined, crossing her arms and pouting. She didn't care if she was acting like a five year old at the moment. She absolutely despised Draco Malfoy. How was she expected to spend time with him, for who knows how long, without tearing his face off in the process?

"Calm down, Granger." Draco stretched his arms and grinned from ear to ear. "You get to spend… how long is this case, Potter?"

"Well, the Ministry was expecting it to be a month…"

"_A month?!_" Hermione squeaked, her eyes wide. A month with Malfoy. How would she ever survive?

"It's really not that bad." Harry turned to the other Aurors. "You can all return to your offices. I know you all have work to be done." He waited until everyone had begun to raise from their seats, placed a kiss on Ginny's cheek, then turned back to them. "You two follow me, and I'll get you all the information you need."

Hermione frowned as she lifted herself from her chair and followed Harry out of the conference room, Draco close behind. How had the one request she had asked for gone wrong? Was fate never going to be in her hands? Was she always going to be given the most horrible outcomes for her life? She had been so excited about the trip and thought it would have the biggest impact on her life, but now…she wasn't so sure.

Harry led them to his office and shut the door behind them after he asked them both to take the seats in front of his desk. He settled himself into his own chair and began to pull out files from various drawers in his desk.

"First thing's first." He lifted his head and folded his hands on his desk, staring intently from one to the other. "I know neither of you are particularly fond of the other, but please try to be civil during this. It's only a month and it's only one case. I trust you two to do the best job possible and solve the case."

Hermione sulked for one more minute but finally nodded after some hesitation. Draco rolled his eyes and nodded as well.

"Good. That being said, here are your personal files." Harry pushed two folders across the table, both equally thick. "These folders contain everything you need to know about Cora Monsir, from her birthplace to her favourite food."

Hermione frowned. "How did you…" But Harry held up a hand to silence her. She already knew that she wasn't supposed to act questions as to where the heads of the departments got their information. It was extremely classified and involved putting their lives at risks, or so Harry had told her before.

"It also includes various aliases you two will be using during your trip. There are about six different aliases, so be sure to keep them all organized and never use one more than three times, if you must," Harry said.

"Why do we have so many?" Draco asked curiously.

"In case something gets extremely out of hand," Harry explained. "I don't want to cause any danger to your own lives, and considering this is such a risky case already, the last thing I want is for you two to be killed doing a job for me."

"So where are we being located to exactly?" Hermione asked.

Harry reached over to open Hermione's folder, pointing his index finger on a red dot marked on a map of England. "It's a small city just on the border of England, called Dontechest. There's only approximately twenty-four-hundred living within the town, so it's rather small. However, if things go as planned, Cora should be passing through there within a week."

"What exactly are we expected to do when she gets there?" Draco said. "Arrest her on the spot, bring her back to the Ministry and let them take her away to Azkaban? That'll go over nicely."

"Not exactly," Harry replied. "To be honest, even I am not entirely sure what will happen when she is caught."

Hermione felt her heart drop. "So you're saying that Draco and I have to catch a mass murderer all by ourselves, and then just what? Leave her there? Bring her back here? What the fuck are we supposed to do with her Harry?"

"Look, there are still some cracks to be smoothed out. But by our measures, Cora shouldn't be showing up in the town for another week or so, and you two are leaving tomorrow afternoon. We will find a way to contact you, I promise," Harry said.

"I'm not sure about this, Harry," Hermione said with a frown. "I… We could be killed!"

"I'm nervous too," Harry confessed. "But the Ministry is forcing me to do this, and forcing me to pick someone best suited for the job. You, of course, are the one who does the most and best work in the department."

Draco closed the folder, which he had been studying, and lifted his gaze to Harry. "We leave tomorrow?" he said.

"Yes."

"This is kind of last minute, isn't it?"

"Well, I only just received the case yesterday morning," Harry explained. "It has to be dealt with right away, of course. You are an Auror after all, Malfoy. You should be used to having sudden cases to deal with."

"I am, but not ones dealing with the most successful murderer of modern times," Draco mumbled.

Harry ignored his comment and turned back to Hermione. "You'll be leaving from the Ministry tomorrow at noon, and you should be arriving at Dontechest within an hour from your departure. Then, the two of you will be brought to the house you're staying in. It's not much, it's just a small cabin that a family has agreed to let us use since it's their summer cottage. You will record your observations of the town and any unusual occurrences on these." Harry pulled out two slick black laptops, something Hermione herself was familiar with. Draco, however, grew wide eyes at the sight of them.

"What the fuck is that, Potter?" he asked.

"It's a laptop. Muggles use it," Harry explained as he handed Hermione hers.

"Alright, but what it is supposed to do?" Draco asked, taking his own laptop and turning it in his hands. "Shit, this thing is heavy."

"You can type things on it. I'm not getting into it now, Hermione can explain it to you tomorrow. I want you two to email me your daily observations."

"Eeeeee-males?" Draco repeated slowly. "What in God's name is an Eeeeee-male?"

"You're dragging the e out for too long, Malfoy," Hermione moaned. "I'll explain later. How do you even have a working computer in the Ministry? I thought Muggle objects didn't work in here, especially electronics."

"I'm not using my computer in here. I will be checking it when I get home, of course," he said.

Hermione raised herself from her seat. "Is that all then?" she asked. Draco followed suit, glancing from Hermione to Harry.

"That's all," he said with a fixed smile.

"I have more work to do, so I will see you later," she said. She smiled at Harry, then turned and reluctantly extended her hand to Draco. He snorted, looked from her face to her hand, and finally shook it with his own.

"See you tomorrow, Granger," he said, pulling open the door to Harry's office and walking out. And with a feeling of dread in her heart, Hermione followed Draco out of Harry's office.

_***_

To her surprise and relief, Hermione had just finished sliding the last folder of the day into her filing cabinet with the clock struck five out in the Ministry and the sounds of multiple office doors opening soon filled the echo of the corridors. Hermione was amazed that she had gotten through all of her files today and, for once, her office was completely organized and spotless from cast aside folders and cases. For her first time in ages, she would be able to go home at the expected time.

"I believe we're done for the day," Hermione said to Blaise, who was bent over the Daily Prophet with his reading glasses on.

He glanced up as he heard Hermione and smiled. "What a relief," he said, standing up and joining her at the door to collect his coat.

"I'm amazed we even got through the files," she said. She was halfway through buttoning up her coat when Blaise's hand on her shoulder caused her to turn around.

"Are you doing anything for dinner?" he asked. When Hermione shook her head no, a smile spread across her face. "Want to join me somewhere? There's this new place a block away called Bernando's, if you'd like to go."

Hermione smiled back. "Sure, I'm starving." She opened the door to the office and waited until Blaise had followed her out before casting a Locking Charm on the door. The two of them casually joined the rushing crowd of witches and wizards who were eagerly waiting for the lifts to come up and bring them to the atrium. Near the front of the line, Hermione raised a hand to wave at Harry, who was still in his office. He acknowledged that she was leaving at five, and beamed back before waving cheerily.

"What type of restaurant is it?" Hermione asked as they joined six other witches and wizards in the lift.

"An Italian restaurant. They've gotten five stars and apparently have the best fettuccine alfredo that you will ever eat," Blaise chuckled.

Hermione grinned. "We'll see about that," she said. For the rest of the ride down, the two stood in silence before the lift paused at the last floor, the atrium. They got off with the remaining two wizards in the lift, and quickly hurried over to the telephone box to get out of there as quickly as possible. Hermione knew how eager everyone was to get out of the Ministry at five and get home, which was partially why she was glad she had been getting out at midnight for the past week or so.

"Here we go," Blaise said, grabbing Hermione's hand to push through the crowd. The two of them got to the telephone booth right away and hit the up button to raise them up to the street. Hermione's thoughts were swimming from her meeting with Harry and Draco earlier; she had mixed emotions of excitement, fear, and stress all in one. She barely noticed that Blaise had touched Hermione's shoulder to indicate that they were on the street once more until the telephone booth doors swung open and a blast of cold wind hit her directly in the face.

"Talk about shock therapy," Hermione gasped, clutching the collar of her coat around her face.

Blaise chuckled and swung a friendly arm around Hermione's shoulders, bringing her close to his side. "It's freezing out, why are you only wearing your coat?"

Hermione shrugged. "I figured I would be Apparating home, but then someone decided to invite me to dinner," she said.

"I apologize for being polite and courteous," Blaise chortled. "Next time I'll just go without you and bring the leftovers to lunch the next day to wave in your face."

Hermione smacked Blaise on the arm. "That's horribly mean, you know that?"

Blaise merely winked and directed Hermione down the next street, where Bernando's was easily recognizable a few doors down. There was a red carpet extending from the front doors, which were shiny and brand new, and a guard stood on the outside warmly bundled up in a woollen coat, a hat, some gloves and a scarf. Blaise placed his hand on the small of Hermione's back as he guided her to the restaurant.

"Good evening," the guard said with a smile. "Do you have a reservation or is this merely spontaneous?"

"Spontaneous. Table for two, if it's available," Blaise said. The guard nodded and poked his head into the restaurant, glancing side to side and obviously spotting a table. He pushed the door open and held it as he stood back to let Blaise and Hermione walk in, which they did. They removed their coats in the process, admiring the beautiful interior of the restaurant as a hostess collected menus for them and guided them to their table. The restaurant was designed to resemble an old Italian restaurant in a way, made entirely of brick with vines twisting up the walls and small tables lit with candles scattered around the room. The hostess led them over to the far corner, where she placed a menu in front of each seat and took their orders for drinks.

After ordering their meals, Blaise folded his hands in front of him and leaned forward towards Hermione with a curious expression. "So what exactly was going on with Harry earlier today?" he asked.

"Oh, that." Hermione blushed and folded her own hands. "Well, Harry chose me to work on a case with an Auror for the next month or so…"

"A month? What case is going to take you two a month?" Blaise asked.

"The case involving Cora Monris. I'm sure you've heard of it," Hermione said.

Blaise looked thoughtful for a moment then flicked his eyes back in Hermione's direction. "You mean the case involving all those mysterious and strange deaths?" he asked finally.

Hermione nodded. "He said it involves the misuse of magic somehow, so I agreed to do it. Plus, he said I needed a vacation - even if it was work related."

Blaise chuckled. "He's completely right, you do need a vacation," he said with a smile.

"I am not that overworked, am I?" Hermione whined, pouting.

Blaise grinned. "No offence, but you work harder than every single Auror put together in the Ministry. And they're supposed to be the most hardworking ones here," he said.

"Whatever," she mumbled.

"Let's change the subject. Who is the Auror going with you?"

Hermione cleared her throat nervously. She was well aware that Blaise could no longer stand being in the same room as Draco Malfoy, since the two had had a falling out about three years ago involving Draco sleeping with Blaise's long-time girlfriend. Blaise had been so angry that he completely diminished his friendship with Draco, including refusing to communicate with him in any way possible.

"Hermione?"

Hermione hesitated. "It's… Draco," she said finally.

"Draco. Draco Malfoy." Blaise's brow furrowed.

"Do you know another Draco?"

"Of course not. Why on Earth would Potter pair you with him?"

"It wasn't Harry's decision," Hermione confessed. "He used the Goblet of Fire."

Blaise frowned. "I thought that was only for school purposes with the Triwizard Tournament."

"It's not important, he used a charm on it or something," Hermione said with a wave of her hand. "The Goblet chose Draco because apparently he had the best credentials and fit the description for the case perfectly."

"Yeah, right. I'm sure he somehow fixed the Goblet to choose him," Blair muttered.

Hermione frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"Because Malfoy always has to win! I remember in fourth year how extremely jealous he was when Harry's name had been called. He thought he would become a greater celebrity than Harry. He talked to me for hours on end discussing his plans to somehow gain more power than Harry, and spoke of ridiculous ideas to somehow beat him and become the superior," Blaise admitted.

"Are you serious? That's ridiculous," Hermione breathed. "No offence, but I don't think Draco Malfoy would ever become more famous than Harry unless he had killed Voldemort for himself. And Harry has already done that years ago!"

Blaise shrugged and said no more on the subject as their food arrived. Hermione immediately forgot about what they were talking about as well, since her mouth watered at the sight of her steaming bowl of fettuccine alfredo with shrimp and red peppers. She immediately began to dig in, and her stomach gave a growl of gratitude as the first forkful of delicious pasta slid down her throat.

"Wow," she mumbled, her mouth full of shrimp and pasta. "This is unbelievable."

Blaise merely winked. "I told you so."

After each had finished their food and Hermione had reluctantly agreed to allow Blaise to pay for their meals, the two slid their coats back on and pushed open the door to the restaurant once more. The cold blast of wind hit Hermione's face immediately and she gasped as goosebumps sprinkled her exposed areas of skin.

"You really should bundle up more," Blaise said as he slid an arm around her shoulder. Hermione ducked her head into Blaise's arm without thinking, trying hard to ignore the bitter cold breeze that stung at her throat every time she inhaled.

They had been in the restaurant for over two hours by now, since it was already dark and the streetlights had come on. Only a handful of people remained on the deserted roads as they walked towards Hermione's apartment, never saying a word. Hermione had far too much on her mind at the moment to discuss anything except for what she had gotten herself into. Tomorrow, she would be leaving London with Draco Malfoy - her childhood enemy - at her side. The two would be forced into a stranger's summer home for a month and would be forced to work together in order to solve one of the most successful cases of their lives. She was positive by now that she would never make it through the month.

Turning a corner, Hermione was relieved to see her home on the street. The streetlight in front of her house was on, casting a glow up her steps so she wouldn't trip from the darkness. She had a happier pep in her step as she walked towards her house, eager to hurry inside from the cold wind and find the warmth of her pyjamas, blanket and tea.

"What are you going to do with yourself tonight then?" Blaise asked, his arm still around Hermione's shoulders as they neared her house.

"Get into my pyjamas and curl up on the couch in front of the fire with a book and a cup of tea. This weather is ridiculous," she said through chattering teeth. Blaise simply laughed as they reached her house and she crawled up the steps happily.

"Thank you for joining me for dinner," he said with a smile, his hands deeply dug into his pockets.

"Oh, well thank you for paying," she said with a smile as well. Then, out of nowhere, Hermione watched as Blaise leaned forward - after hesitating and thinking it over in his mind - and pressed his soft lips against Hermione's. She was in complete shock at first, her eyes wide as she witnessed her partner standing so close to her, and immediately felt relaxed as his arms went around her and embraced her in warmth. _Oh, what the hell? He's incredibly sexy, smart, nice and funny. I may as well give him just one, _she thought. Her hands rested on his chest as his tongue delicately wound its way into her mouth, and met hers with an explosion of excitement.

Finally, Hermione pulled away and looked up at Blaise in shock. "I, uh… Well…"

"I'm sorry," he said, though a smile was on his lips. "I've just been meaning to do that for months now." He winked. "Have a good night, Hermione." And without another word, another kiss, or any sign of expanding the kiss to something more, Blaise turned on his heel and walked down the street. Hermione watched him in complete shock for a moment, disbelieving of what had just happened, and finally shook her head.

"I'll deal with that in the morning," she muttered to herself, turning to face her door, turning the key in the lock, and welcoming herself into the warmth of her home.


End file.
